This invention relates to a computerized interior design expert, and more particularly, to an interior design system allowing a homeowner to access a computerized expert system for entering desired interior design requirements and being presented with compatible interior design treatments such as fabrics, wall coverings, floor coverings, window treatments, paint colors, and ceiling colors to be used with the interior design of a home.
With today""s economy and the increase in both new and existing home sales, there has been a surge in the desire for homeowners to decorate the interior of their homes. Traditionally, this is achieved by hiring an interior designer who is a consultant for the interior design and decoration of a home. The role of the interior designer is to assist the homeowner deciding the homeowner""s design requirements such as color and style. These design requirements are used to select interior design treatments such as fabrics for furniture and window treatments, fabrics, wall coverings such as floor cover and wallpaper, paint colors for floors, walls, trim, and the ceiling. Traditionally, the selection process involves the homeowner and the interior designer meeting personally, reviewing the existing coloring, reviewing the existing furniture, and discussing the xe2x80x9cstylexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d that the homeowner wishes for the home. Interior designers typically charge by the hour for this service with rates in excess of $100 per hour. The time required to decorate an individual room can drive the interior design consulting fee into the thousands of dollars. Therefore, the services of an interior designer have been typically limited to only those individuals with sufficient income to afford an interior designer. Providing an interior design expert system that provides the services of a human interior designer, including color palette selection, space planning, and fabric selections but does not require the full-time, one-on-one interaction with the interior designer is a problem to which considerable attention should be given. Attempts in the past to address this problem have been unable to provide an integrated system to assist a homeowner in designing their homes with interior design treatments that conform to the homeowner""s design wishes.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,239 is directed to a space planning system having flexible cast coated paper substrates which electrostatically adhere to a coated surface allowing an individual to have a plan view of a room. The view includes walls, windows, furniture, appliances, plants, and the like. However, this invention does not provide any means in which to select fabrics, colors, wall coverings, or other interior design treatments. U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,079 is directed to a display device suitable for interior designs having a baseboard, one or more background replicas, and shapes and designs that fit under the baseboard with magnetically attached articles to assist with space planning. This invention also allows different fabrics to be placed upon individual pieces of furniture but contains no ability to validate selections nor to assist with the selection of interior design treatments. Neither provide an expert system for providing interior design treatments compatible with the homeowner""s design requirements.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide for a computerized expert system to assist in selecting interior design treatments compatible with the homeowner""s design requirements.
Another object of this invention is to provide an expert interior design system having the ability to validate selected interior design treatments to ensure that the final interior design plan is integrated, consistent, aesthetically pleasing, and compatible with the homeowner""s design wishes.
Another object of this invention is to provide for an expert interior design system for selecting interior design treatments such as color palettes, paint, fabrics, wall coverings, and floor coverings through a computerized expert system, thereby reducing or eliminating the time and expense associated with an expensive interior designer.
The above objectives are accomplished according to the present invention by a computerized expert system for providing interior design by selecting interior design treatments in accordance with a homeowner""s interior design wishes comprising, a computer processor, a computer readable medium in electronic communication with the processor, a database in electronic communication with the processor containing data representing individual interior design treatments selectable by selection criteria, an input device in communication with the processor for inputting a homeowner""s design requirements, a output device in communication with the processor for providing output to the homeowner, and a set of computer readable instructions embodied within the computer readable medium controlling the processor for receiving the design requirements from the input device, selecting a set of interior design treatments by selection criteria in accordance with the design requirements, and outputting the set to the homeowner so that the homeowner is provided the available interior design treatments according to the homeowner""s design requirements.
The system can also include computer readable instructions for organizing the set of interior design treatments in a hierarchy in accordance with the design requirements so that the most desired treatments are displayed higher in said hierarchy. Additionally, the instructions can limit the interior design treatments provided to those above a predetermined level in the hierarchy.
To provide a grouping or plurality of interior design treatments, the system can include instructions for selecting a first interior design treatment from the set of interior design treatments, selecting an additional interior design treatment from the set of interior design treatments distinct from the interior design treatments already selected, comparing the selection criteria of the first interior design treatment with the selection criteria of the selected additional interior design treatment, and providing a grouping of the first and the additional interior design treatment only if the selection criteria of the first and the additional interior design treatments are compatible so that the homeowner is provided with a plurality of compatible interior design treatments in accordance with the homeowner""s interior design wishes.
These instructions can be repeated until the resulting grouping contains a predetermined number of interior design treatments so that the homeowner is provided a plurality of compatible treatments in accordance with the homeowner""s design requirements.
As part of the homeowner""s design requirements, a color requirement can be part of the design requirements and a color selection criteria can be part of the selection criteria. Also, a pattern selection criteria can be included within the selection criteria, as well as a style selection criteria.
This invention is not limited to computer instructions and can have means for storing data representing individual interior design treatments selectable by selection criteria, means for receiving a homeowner""s design requirement, means for selecting a set of interior design treatments, selected by the selection criteria, from the stored data in accordance with the design requirements, and means for outputting the set of selected interior design criteria so that the homeowner is provided the available interior design treatments according to the homeowner""s interior design wishes.
The invention can include means for organizing the set of interior design treatments in a hierarchy in accordance with the design requirements so that the most desired treatments are displayed higher in the hierarchy. There can also be means for limiting the interior design treatments provided to those of a predetermined level in the hierarchy.
To provide a grouping, this invention can include means for selecting a first interior design treatment from the set of interior design treatments, means for selecting an additional interior design treatment from the set of interior design treatments, means for comparing the selection criteria of the first interior design treatment with the selection criteria of the selected additional interior design treatment, and means for providing a grouping of the selected additional interior design treatments only if the selection criteria of the selected interior design treatments are compatible so that the homeowner is provided with a plurality of compatible interior design treatments in accordance with the homeowner""s interior design wishes. Means for selecting a predetermined number of additional interior design treatments from the set of interior design treatments distinct from the interior design treatments already selected an also be included.